K. Baranee Krishnaan, Kuala Lumpur – US ambassador to Malaysia John Malott said on Tuesday he would not tolerate another violent entry into his embassy by asylum seekers after eight Indonesians broke in last month and fought with embassy staff.

"You don't come in fighting when you want to seek political asylum from the United States," Malott told Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting between US and Malaysian businessmen. "I will not tolerate any further violent intrusions of this nature at the embassy. It is my duty to protect the embassy and its staff," Malott said.

The eight Indonesian immigrants entered the US embassy on April 10 by climbing a wall to avoid deportation by Malaysian officials.

Malott said the immigrants were in a combative mood and did not appear to be asking for help. "They engaged in a 10-minute hand combat with at least three American civilian officials, three military officials and one security personnel. Both our people and theirs were injured," he said. "They jumped into the compound and began assaulting our people without saying a word. Is this the way you ask for help?"

He said after subduing the immigrants, one of the American civilian officers who speaks Malaysia's local language, which sounds much like Indonesian, understood that the immigrants said they were Aceh separatists from Indonesia.

"From here on, our approach to the whole matter changed," he said, adding that he could not yet say when the immigrants would leave the embassy. Embassy officials have been working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' office in Kuala Lumpur to determine if the immigrants deserve political asylum. Malaysia has said it will deport all illegal immigrants regardless of their claims.

More than 20 other immigrants who broke into the Brunei, Swiss and French compounds on the same day were turned over to the police. Malott said those groups were just as violent. "I must say that I can understand why the embassies reacted in the way they did," he said. "What kind of response do you expect from any embassy in the world when you enter the embassy illegally at 7.30 in the morning and start throwing rocks at the building and beating up anyone you encounter inside?"

He said the immigrants at the US embassy were now quite happy. "They are eating the same food we are eating, that comes from our cafeteria. We've given them shampoo, too, and they've been asking us for hair oil. "They're also asking for cigarettes but we can't do this as it is not the US government's policy to buy anyone cigarettes."